Shannon Cassidy, 23, is traumatised after a surgeon accidently sliced her uterus trying to remove leftover placenta after she had given birth to her second daughter Myria. Photo / Supplied
Shannon Cassidy, 23, is traumatised after a surgeon accidently sliced her uterus trying to remove leftover placenta after she had given birth to her second daughter Myria. Photo / Supplied
In Her Head is a Herald campaign for better women's health services. Health reporter Emma Russell investigates what's wrong with our current system and talks to wāhine who have been made to feel their serious illness is a figment of their imagination or 'just part of being a woman'.
A 23-year-old mum feared for her life after a surgeon accidentally sliced her uterus while trying to remove leftover placenta nearly a week after she'd given birth.
"I was in extreme pain, it felt worse than when I was in labour. I was quite sick and I thought my life was on the line," Shannon Cassidy told the Herald from her Te Awamutu bed, where she was still recovering two months later.
The mum of two wanted to share her story to warn other women about the importance of advocating for yourself and getting a second opinion.
Knowing something wasn't right, she said she sought a second opinion from her former midwife in Te Awamutu who immediately sent her to Waikato Hospital for scans. There it was revealed she had leftover placenta still inside of her.
The placenta is an organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy to provide oxygen and nutrients to the growing baby and removes waste products from the baby's blood.
Medical notes, seen by the Herald, said: "This lady unfortunately had retained products of conception requiring an emergency ERPOC (evacuation of retained products of conception)."
Midwifery adviser for the New Zealand College of Midwives, Jacqui Anderson, said retained placenta wasn't common but it was a recognised complication.
Leftover placenta may pass eventually without issue, but in some cases can cause heavy bleeding, passing of clots and/or increased pain from strong contractions trying to expel the tissue, Anderson said.
It can also lead to infection and some women may experience fever and/or abdominal or back pain, Anderson said.
This is treated with medication including antibiotics, surgery or a combination of both.
The day after waking up from surgery, Cassidy said she began to feel sick and couldn't feel anything from her hips down. She was sent for another CT scan.
After two surgeries, doctors discovered her sliced uterus hadn't been repaired properly. Photo / Supplied
"You're meant to lie still for a CT scan and I remember two guys had to hold me down because I was in so much pain and then when they brought me up they all had worried faces but told me I would be okay."
She said doctors told her the scan showed she had bled about two litres of blood internally and they needed to get her back into theatre urgently.
"I thought my life was on the line," Cassidy said.
During her second operation, she said, doctors told her they discovered the first surgeon had accidentally sliced through her uterus.
"I came out of surgery and couldn't breathe properly so they had to put me on oxygen gas. I was in recovery for two hours before they took me back to the ward and hooked me up to all these machines and had drains coming from my stitches as they were still draining blood."
Her medical record noted the findings from the second operation showed "obvious injury to the uterus".
"The surgeon came into my room to apologise and he said never in his 14 years had he ever done a big mistake like that. He looked really down and he said 'I expect you to yell at me, swear at me, get angry at me, be upset'," she said.
He helped her file an ACC treatment injury claim, she said, which was accepted this month to cover weekly compensation, counselling and physio.
She stayed in hospital for a week and a half before she was sent home, Cassidy said.
Cassidy endured three surgeries and weeks away from her daughters Jamilah, 15-months-old, and Myria, now two-months-old. Photo / Supplied
However, Cassidy's ordeal didn't end there.
She was rushed into Hastings Hospital in severe pain this month. She said doctors found her uterus hadn't been stitched back together properly and there was a lot of bleeding. She then underwent a third surgery, which ended up being three hours long.
"The impact on my mental health has been massive, I felt like I was battling postnatal depression because when I got home I couldn't connect with my girls. I was having really bad vivid dreams," she said.
"I missed three and a half weeks of my newborn's life. You want to spend as much time bonding with your newborn, especially when she's been through a lot."
Cassidy said she couldn't comprehend having more children.
"It's been quite traumatising and I don't want it to happen to other mums."
Her message to other women was: "If you know something is wrong but your midwife says it's something else but you know it's not that, seek a second opinion. Go to a different hospital or speak to a different midwife."
A Te Whatu Ora Waikato spokesman said hospital staff were very sympathetic and apologised for any distress caused.
"Unfortunately, all surgical procedures carry risk of possible complications, which are unexpected and uncommon, but discussed with patients before the intervention during the informed consent process. It is important that patients are supported and informed if there is an adverse outcome," he said.
The spokesman said they did not disclose private patient information to media and encouraged anyone with questions or concerns about their care to contact their doctor or to make a formal complaint with the hospital.
"Clinical experts are then able to have an open discussion with the patient with access to all details of their care. No complaint has been received regarding this patient's care, however, we are reviewing the incident as an adverse event, which has been discussed with the patient and in due course we will be able to discuss the conclusions with [her]."
